Abstract
Ten fungal and nine bacterial strains were isolated from a weathering sandstone building. Their growth, organic acid production, and acidification capacity were assessed in culture under nutritional conditions similar to those in situ. Biomass (10–50 nmol phospholipid-PO4g−1) within the rock was small compared to soils. The isolated organisms were able to produce high amounts of those acids found in the sandstone, but acid production did not cause a drastic reduction in culture pH. It is suggested that the importance of acidification in microbial degradation of sandstone has been overestimated and that, under in situ pH and nutritional conditions, cation chelation by microbially produced organic acid anions may be more relevant to the weathering process.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bennett PC, Melcer ME, Siegel DI, Hassett JP (1988) The dissolution of quartz in dilute aqueous solutions of organic acids at 25°C, Geochim Cosmochim Acta 52:1521–1530
Bradford MM (1976) A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. Anal Biochem 72:248–254
Caccamo F, Carfagnini G, Di Corcia A, Samperi R (1986) Improved high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for determining organic acids in wines. J Chromatog 362:47–53
Cohen-Bazire G, Sistrom WR, Stanier RY (1957) Kinetic studies of pigment synthesis by nonsulfur purple bacteria. J Cellular Comp Physiol 49:25–68
Duff RB, Webley DM, Scott RO (1963) Solubilization of minerals and materials by 2-ketogluconic acid-producing bacteria. Soil Sci 95:105–114
Eckhardt FEW (1979) Über die Einwirkung heterotropher Mikroorganismen auf die Zersetzung silikatischer Minerale. Z Pflanzenernähr Bodenkund 142:434–445
Eckhardt FEW (1985) Mechanisms of the microbial degradation of minerals in sandstone monuments, medieval frescoes, and plaster. In: Proceedings of the Fifth International Congress on Deterioration and Conservation of Stone. Lausanne, pp 643–652
Eckhardt FEW (1988) Influence of culture media employed in studying microbial weathering of building stone and monuments by heterotrophic bacteria and fungi. In: Proceedings of the Sixth International Congress on Deterioration and Conservation of Stone, supplement. Nicholas Copernicus University Press, Torun, pp 71–81
Federle TW (1986) Microbial distribution in soil-New techniques. In: Megusar F, Ganter M (eds) Perspectives in microbial ecology. Slovene Society for Microbiology, Ljublana, pp 493–498
Henderson MEK, Duff RB (1963) The release of metallic and silicate ions from minerals, rocks, and soils by fungal activity. J Soil Sci 14:236–246
Hirsch P, Rades-Rohkohl E (1988) Some special problems in the determination of viable counts of groundwater microorganisms. Microbial Ecol 16:99–113
Kuroczkin J, Bode K, Petersen K, Krumbein WE (1988) Some physiological characteristics of fungi isolated from sandstones. In: Proceedings of the Sixth International Congress on Deterioration and Conservation of Stone, supplement. Nicholas Copernicus University Press, Torun, pp 21–25
Mandl I, Grauer A, Neuberg C (1953) Solubilization of insoluble matter in nature. II. The part played by salts of organic and inorganic acids occurring in nature. Biochim Biophys Acta 10:540–569
Mehltretter CL, Alexander BH, Rist CE (1953) Sequestration by sugar acids. Ind Eng Chem 49:2782–2784
Neuberg C, Salvesen RH, Oster G (1961) Role of phosphoglyceric acid salts in the solubilization of inorganic substances in nature. Arch Bioc Biophys 95:533–539
Phelps TJ, Ringelberg D, Hendrick D, Davis J, Fliermans CB, White DC (1988) Microbial biomass and activities associated with subsurface environments contaminated with chlorinated hydrocarbons. Geomicrobiol J 6:157–170
Schenk D, Petersen A, Matthess G (1989) Acceleration and retardation of silicate weathering due to organic substances. In: Miles DL (ed) Water-rock interaction. AA Balkema, Rotterdam, pp 605–607
Siebert JS, Palmer RJ Jr, Hirsch P (1991) Analysis of free amino acids in microbially colonized sandstone by precolumn phenyl isothiocyanate derivatization and high-performance liquid chromatography. Appl Environm Microbiol 57:879–881
Silverman MP, Munoz E (1970) Fungal attack on rock: Solubilization and altered infrared spectra. Science 169:985–987
Smith GA, Nickels JS, Kerger BD, Davis JD, Collins SP, Wilson JT, McNabb JF, White DC (1986) Quantitative characterization of microbial biomass and community structure in subsurface material: A prokaryotic consortium responsive to organic contamination. Can J Microbiol 32:104–111
Staley JT (1968)Prosthecomicrobium andAncalomicrobium: New prosthecate freshwater bacteria. J Bacteriol 95:1921–1942
Vestal JR (1988) Biomass of the cryptoendolithic microbiota from the antarctic desert. Appl Environm Microbiol 54:957–959
Vestal JR, White DC (1989) Lipid analysis in microbial ecology. BioScience 39:535–541
Wagner E, Schwartz W (1965) Geomikrobiologische Untersuchungen. IV. Untersuchungen über die mikrobielle Verwitterung von Kalkstein im Karst. Z Allg Mikrobiol 5:52–76
Wagner M, Schwartz W (1967) Geomikrobiologische Untersuchungen. VIII. Über das Verhalten von Bakterien auf der Oberfläche von Gesteinen und Mineralien und ihre Rolle bei der Verwitterung. Z Allg Mikrobiol 7:33–52
Wagner M, Schwartz W (1967) Geomikrobiologische Untersuchungen. IX. Verwertung von Gesteins- und Mineralpulvern als Mineralsalzquelle für Bakterien. Z Allg Mikrobiol 7:129–141
Webley DM, Henderson MEK, Taylor IF (1963) The microbiology of rocks and weathered stones. J Soil Sci 14:102–112
White DC, Davis WM, Nickels JS, King JD, Bobbie RJ (1979) Determination of the sedimentary microbial biomass by extractable lipid phosphate. Oecologia 40:51–62
Wolters B, Sand W, Ahlers B, Sameluck F, Meincke M, Meyer C, Krause-Kupsch T, Bock E (1988) Nitrification—The main source for nitrate deposition in building stones. In: Proceedings of the Sixth International Congress on Deterioration and Conservation of Stone. Nicholas Copernicus University Press, Torun, pp 24–31
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Palmer, R.J., Siebert, J. & Hirsch, P. Biomass and organic acids in sandstone of a weathering building: Production by bacterial and fungal isolates. Microb Ecol 21, 253–266 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02539157
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02539157